S-4403.1  _______________________________________________

                    SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5776

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      56th Legislature     2000 Regular Session

By Senate Committee on Health & Long‑Term Care (originally sponsored by Senators Franklin, Roach, Prentice, Zarelli and Costa)

Read first time 02/04/2000.

Expanding access to chiropractic health care services.

    AN ACT Relating to access to chiropractic health care services; and adding a new section to chapter 48.43 RCW.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 48.43 RCW to read as follows:

    Each carrier shall provide all enrollees with direct access to the participating chiropractor of the enrollee's choice for covered chiropractic health care without the necessity of prior referral.  This section does not prevent carriers from restricting patients to seeing only providers who have signed participating provider agreements or from utilizing other managed care and cost containment techniques and processes.

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